Summer Vegetable Lasagne

Ok so I’m not going to lie, my family and I just finished the whole tray…it’s a fact, this lasagne is delicious.

Lasagne usually always brings on memories of heavy winter dinners and a ‘guilt’ driven gym session the morning after….NOT TODAY! Hence why I wanted to share this light, nutritious and summery dish with you! Using cauliflower to make a decadent and rich ‘white sauce’ make’s this such a people pleaser, it is simple but very satisfying.

This recipe is packed full of subtle flavours that combine to complement each other, lots of veggies snuck in and finished with a crunchy top that packs a punch. Hope you all enjoy it and feel free to make this dish your own by chopping and changing the vegetables to your liking (be mindful of seasonality as the fresher the better).

ciabatta, 3 thick slices (can be stale or fresh, feel free to use whatever you have lying about…best not to waste)1-3 birds eye chilli, (I am a spice fiend but you may not be, so 1 will give a light spice and 3 will kick you in the face)
parmesan, 60g
zest of 1/2 a lemon
Basil, just get heaps of it!

What to do:

1. Preheat oven to 230’C (getting out roast on). First thing first get the cauliflower and stock on the boil. Done? next step.
2. While cauliflower is doing its thing, get the pumpkin and zucchini prep’d and in the oven, drizzle with enough olive oil, salt and pepper to lightly cover. Whack it all on a tray along with your garlic cloves (unpeeled!). Roast until tender and lightly coloured, should take max 20min.
3. While the veg are roasting get out your food processor and blitz the ciabatta, chilli, lemon zest, parmesan and a good hand full of basil leaves. Blitz. That’s your crunchy crumbed top done. Transfer to a bowl as we need the food processor back!
4. Cauliflower should be cooked by now, test and see that its very soft!? check you veggies are roasting away nicely, at the same time take the garlic and remove the soft sweet center for the sauce we are about to make.
5. Now blitz you cream, garlic and cauliflower stock in the processor until smooth and creamy…should resemble a white sauce – 98% vegetable ‘white sauce’! Huston we have a winner! Take a moment here to truly appreciate the pure bliss of pureed cauliflower, such a humble flavour 🙂
6. Now it is time to layer the lasagne.
7. Start with a 1/3 of the pumpkin, zucchini and broad beans. Sprinkle over a generous handful of fresh basil leaves and cover with the cauliflower sauce. Top with lasagne sheets, feel free to break the sheets if necessary to fit-in the odd gaps.
8. Repeat twice more.
9. Top the last layer with your pasta sheets and then with whatever is left of the cauliflower sauce. Then sprinkle over the breadcrumbs and bake for 25min.

Remove from the oven when golden and bubbling. Let the dish sit for a few minutes then slice and EAT with gusto! I whipped together a humble salad to accompany it because honestly this dish speaks for itself.